Abstract; There are discomfort and worry among library users when they want to study Islam in Indonesia based on ancient manuscripts. One of them is caused by the unavailability of primary references about ancient manuscripts in the library of PTKIN. In the meantime, they find them such references by searching through a catalog of ancient manuscripts which has been around since the 1950s, written by Poerbatjaraka, Voorhoeve, and Hoykaas entittled Indonesische Handschriften. The catalog contains information of origin of scripts, contents, and so on. Furthermore, PTKIN libraries should provide these ancient texts, albeit in digital form. And it is through such digitization program that we can save manuscripts. It is also in the context that the philology of Nusantara becomes important to be assistive instrument to develop PTKIN libraries.

Actually, philology is not a new science in the PTKIN. As a university subject, philology, or the study of ancient texts, is taught in the Department of Islamic Civilization, Faculty of Adab and Humanities. However, studies based on philology Islam are relatively low. Therefore, it is reasonable that libraries have no special collections on it. With this background, it is the time to raise the two issues as a stepping stone for the study of Nusantara philology and Libraries. A few experience in the Central Library of IAIN Sheikh Nurjati Cirebon through special service called “Cirebonese Corner” can be the beginning to address these two issues.